The MataBlog is edited by Matador Records’ co-moaner Gerard Cosloy and individual entries are the work of whoever’s name is next to them. If you enjoyed something in the MataBlog, thank you very much! If there was something you found particularly troubling, please be advised that a) maybe you should read it again and b) the contents of this blog do not necessarily represent the opinions of Matador Records, Beggars Group, the combined staff of either company, nor the Matador artist roster. Opinions are like friends — hardly anyone has one worth listening to.

We've uncovered some excess inventory here at the expansive Matador Warehouse™ and that can only mean one thing, sale time. We've got 6 recent classics up for grabs at pretty much half off their normal retail price, but don't wait too long because once these are gone, they are gone for good.

Filmed and directed by artist Julien Langendorff in Paris this past winter, Thurston Moore brings us a Valentines video for Heavenmetal, a song that first appeared on the self-titled album by Chelsea Light Moving, released in March last year. As previously mentioned, a new album is on the way for Thurston Moore, coming this June.

OK, we missed Black Friday by a few days, but if that means ONE LESS TRAMPLING this holiday shopping season, it was totally worth it. On December 3, we're releasing a limited edition, one-time pressing of a $5.99 list LP , 'It's Been A Business Doing Pleasure With You', featuring 9 songs from (most of) our 2013 releases. In addition to album tracks from Chelsea Light Moving, Majical Cloudz, Body/Head, Lee Ranaldo & The Dust, Iceage and Kurt Vile, there's a live version of Queens of the Stone Age performing "If I Had A Tail" at the 2013 iTunes Festival (Roundhouse, London), Savages' "City's Full" from last summer's KEXP session, and Yo La Tengo performing "Before We Run" in those same KEXP studios.

We don't have any copies for mail order, sadly, but hopefully you'll find one at your favorite record store after they're done sweeping up all the broken glass, blood, etc. from Black Friday. If you prefer, you can order a digital version of the comp. right now at the Matador Store.

Matador blew off Cassette Store Day this year --- something about our misplacing our calendar. But that hasn't stopped Kurt Vile and Chelsea Light Moving from putting together tour cassettes (splits with Merchandise and VBA, respectively).

Chelsea Light Moving make their first tip over to Europe for an extensive tour this summer, taking in all corners of northern and western Europe throughout June and July. Along with these dates Thurston Moore plays a couple of select improv dates (no CLM) where he's joined on stage by guest musicians, including a set at the Yoko Ono curated Meltdown Festival in London.

It's only been a month since Chelsea Light Moving released their debut album, but, as savvy NPR aficionados are aware, Thurston and the gang are already coming up with new material. Today at 5:00PM EDT/2:00PM PDT, Seattle's KEXP will air a set that Chelsea Light Moving recorded there a few weeks ago, wherein they wrote two new songs on the spot. The above video is of "The Ecstasy," featuring lyrics by the poet John Donne. Tune in to hear the whole session at kexp.org and at 90.3FM.

A fortnight ago, Chelsea Light Moving played a ridiculous number of Austin shows before and during SXSW in all manner of settings, none of 'em more hospitable than the warehouse district's Mellow Johnny's bicycle emporium. Proprietor Lance Armstrong failed to make an appearance, but we're told he was contacted mid-set for consultation on the shop's "you break it, you bought it policy" (on the advice of our lawyers, we're not showing the footage of Thurston breaking what was apparently a very expensive bike, but we'll stress it was AN ACCIDENT). Thanks to KEXP for the footage.

If there's one thing we know you, the Matablog faithful, hate more than anything else, it's hyperbole. And yet here we are in the middle of SXSW, where hyperbole is the norm that inevitably leads to mediocre band after mediocre band being lauded as "killing it," "slaying," or "destroying it," usually with hashtags involved. Clearly, mere hyperbole is no longer enough to separate the proverbial men from the boys, and in that spirit: Chelsea Light Moving will be literally murdering the audience this afternoon as part of their 1:30PM CDT performance at Mellow Johnny's Bike Shop (400 Nueces St.), a performance which is free and open to the public and will also be broadcast live on KEXP (90.3FM in Seattle, and streaming on kexp.org).

Those of you at SXSW who are wondering why one would go to a show where the band is going to literally murder the audience should note that Chelsea Light Moving's long-term plan is to literally turn Austin into a smoldering, bloody crater by the time they leave, so you're pretty much screwed no matter what.

Chelsea Light Moving's new self-titled album is, of course, available for purchase in many fine formats at our webstore. Now, if you'll excuse me, I see a margarita with my name on it.

I hope you'll excuse my weary tone --- it's not that I don't look forward to South By Southwest or the plethora of free, unaffiliated events (especially those that take place in glorified jello-shot emporiums masquerading as music venues for one week out of the year). It's just that I'm really pissed off someone told all of the bands below they're staying at my place.

Thurston Moore responded to the comments section of Brooklyn Vegan to confirm that his NEW ROCK BAND would indeed (as promised in their bio) "detonate any birthday party, wedding or hullabaloo in any country, planet or stratosphere that doesn't support right wing extremist NRA sucking bozo-ology."

Last weekend in Haydenville, MA, the Chelseas did just that, playing a a handsome left-winger named Trevor's birthday party. This is the evidence:

"Empires Of Time":[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWjKLiexGI4[/youtube]

Sonically, of course. Much in the same fashion they've been known to destroy a hullabaloo here and there. Because they've scheduled a handful of free, all ages instores along their upcoming tour. And that fucking rules.

Dig it. And be sure to dig their record NOW. And then buy it as soon as you can. And let it destroy you.

...two whole weeks before release date (March 5). Plenty of time to be sold on the self-titled album's brilliance (or alternately, an opportunity several days in to turn off the computer and get some fresh air --- you could probably use a meal, too).

From the weird/cool/whoa file: on Tuesday Brooklyn Vegan correctly pointed out that, in the bio for Chelsea Light Moving's upcoming album, Thurston Moore threatens that "the band is ready to detonate any birthday party, wedding or hullabaloo in any country, planet or stratosphere that doesn't support right wing extremist NRA sucking bozo-ology."

In a moment that may go down in trolling history, the comments section went ablaze with suggestions for venues, houses and parties Thurston and the band could play. Late Tuesday Thurston himself took the comments section at BV (twice!) to state that the band is indeed up to detonate some poor sap's shebang.

On March 5 (March 4 in Europe), Matador will be releasing Chelsea Light Moving's eponymous 1st full-length LP/CD/digital album. Until this point, the Thurston Moore-spearheaded quartet (see the bio below) have dropped periodic MP3's on the unsuspecting populace, along with road testing their live show in locations as far flung as Gothenberg, Sweden and Denver, CO. Their first U.S. tour commences Sat., March 2, at Hoboken, NJ's Maxwell's.

(photo : Carlos van Hijfte)

CHELSEA LIGHT MOVING is the current group led by Sonic Youth founder Thurston Moore. He is the songwriter and plays over-amped hyper electric guitar and sings with raw-glam-destructo vocals. The band is a four piece featuring Samara Lubelski, who has played violin with TM on his last two solo LPs (Demolished Thoughts and Trees Outside The Academy) and with CHELSEA LIGHT MOVING plays deep psyche pop metal bass guitar. Keith Wood, who records under the aegis Hush Arbors, plays electric guitar with a pick forged from angel wing and John Moloney, aka “Pegasus”, approaches the drums like an asteroid hurtling toward Earth. The first CD self-titled was recorded in two spurious sessions with engineer Justin Pizzoferrato in Sone Lab, a killer studio in Easthampton MASSACHUSETTS. The band is ready to detonate any birthday party, wedding or hullaboo in any country, planet or stratosphere that doesn’t support right wing extremist NRA sucking bozo-ology.

The CHELSEA LIGHT MOVING song that was posted July 25 for free entitled Frank O'Hara Hit is actually some other song, by the same band, called Empires Of Time. For your edification and further free-fall into the vortex of confusion we now present you the song Frank O'Hara Hit. The previous message from Thurston Moore pertaining to the intention of this tune is still active. If there's anything to be known about Empires of Time, know that it is a call of honor, and a kiss on the hallowed forehead, to Roky Erickson of Austin, Texas, a maestro of American psychedelic rock n roll of the highest order.

Go for it,

Thurston Moore

-----------

[ed: to hopefully relieve further confusion, here are links to all the songs shared by Chelsea Light Moving to date:

[edit: Due to an unfortunate mix up, the track posted here originally on July 25 was the Chelsea Light Moving track "Empires Of Time", this post has now been amended to the correct audio for "Frank O'Hara Hit".]

Today is July 25 and it’s my birthday. I’m 54. This song is called Frank O’Hara Hit. And it’s by this band I started called Chelsea Light Moving. Right now we’re whipping around Europe playing some summer love-cry gigs. I wanted to release this song by the end of July because it’s a meditation on that month through history in events that define a lot of what mytho-romanticizes my heart, both broken and blessed at the moment. On July 25, 1965 Bob Dylan with the Paul Butterfield Blues Band delivered to rock n’ roll the dissident soul of folk music and poetry. For many it was already a viable meeting but Dylan set it on fire for the world to see. And he was famously cursed and booed by the gatekeepers of old ways wariness. The song he sang was Phantom Engineer (later titled It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry). On July 24, 1966 the NYC poet Frank O’Hara was struck by a dune buggy while hanging out on Fire Island, and died the next day. O’Hara knew poetry in all it’s formalist glory and like John Cage’s ear to music liberated it for writers for an unending time. In his essay Personism: A Manifesto (published in Leroi Jones’ Yugen magazine in 1961) he writes, "I don't ... like rhythm, assonance, all that stuff. You just go on your nerve. If someone's chasing you down the street with a knife you just run, you don't turn around and shout, 'Give it up! I was a track star for Mineola Prep’…As for measure and other technical apparatus, that's just common sense: if you're going to buy a pair of pants you want them to be tight enough so everyone will want to go to bed with you. There's nothing metaphysical about it." On July 26, 1943 Mick Jagger was born in Dartford, Kent, England and would become the 20th century’s erotic pinup for the unsafety of teeny bop girls everywhere preaching the gospel soaked blues of African-American music that their parents were most likely frightened to death of. His skill in getting it and keeping it together and continuing to honor the magic that rocks the fuck out when Howlin’ Wolf hit the mic is what inspires every tantalizing facet of real rock n’ roll. On July 29, 1966 our hero Bobby Dylan crashed his motorbike while taking it for a spin in Woodstock He had just recorded three lightning rod LPs (Bringing It All Back Home, Highway 61 Revisited, Blonde on Blonde), a book of writing (Tarantula) and was taking a breather between a just finished nine month world tour (where he was facing audiences half pissed at his “Judas!” betrayal of folk purity) and readying for sixty-four American gigs booked by money hog Albert Grossman. He was amphetamine skinny and breathing high-octane annunciation. He returned to us a man in control of his image and he provocatively crushed celebrity underfoot like a shitty Marlboro. Let us kiss our lovers gently in July as the lathered sunrays of August take us into contemplation and a sweet trust to a future we will always fight for. In rock n roll, soul, tenderness and piety.

ABOUT

The MataBlog is edited by Matador Records’ co-moaner Gerard Cosloy and individual entries are the work of whoever’s name is next to them. If you enjoyed something in the MataBlog, thank you very much! If there was something you found particularly troubling, please be advised that a) maybe you should read it again and b) the contents of this blog do not necessarily represent the opinions of Matador Records, Beggars Group, the combined staff of either company, nor the Matador artist roster. Opinions are like friends — hardly anyone has one worth listening to.